James Townsend

We’re thrilled to announce Brave Bison’s acquisition of leading strategy and insights consultancy MTM!         With an impressive client roster featuring the likes of Google, Samsung Ads, Figma, Formula E, England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Sky Sports and BBC, MTM is a trusted audience strategy and insights partner for major global businesses. 🌎      MTM helps some of the biggest names in technology, entertainment and sport scale new business models, evolve products, shape positioning and reframe their relevancy in line with rapidly evolving consumer behaviours, cultural trends and commercial realities. As they join the Brave Bison universe, we become “uniquely positioned to help tomorrow’s super brands capitalise on complexity,” as our CEO and Executive Chairman Oli Green puts it.       Operating alongside but independently from our existing marketing and technology divisions, MTM will form our new insights and consultancy division. This will combine MTM’s depth of industry knowledge and breadth of research methodologies with our agile operating model and proprietary AI tooling across Brave Bison, SocialChain and Engage Digital Partners.      Welcome to the herd team MTM! We can’t wait to get started together on this new chapter. 🤝    Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ejHDNS93

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As the son of a retired music teacher who also loves cars - this campaign struck a chord. A digital Out-of-Home campaign from Audi UK translating the engines of its RS models into sheet music 🎼🎵 Each creative features a single line of sheet music, created by composer Ben Parry, that translates the notations of a specific Audi model named underneath - such as the E-tron and RS3. The campaign is a great example of the opportunities on offer to be brand bold and demand audience attention creatively through the public screen of OOH. Read more in Campaign: https://okt.to/wkbB1V #jcduk #OOH #audi

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How should brands navigate AI search? 🔎 In the latest episode of The Media Leader Podcast, Paul Bland, Chief Digital Officer at Havas Media Network UK, unpacks how AI-driven search is rewriting the rules of brand visibility. This conversation follows the launch of Brand Insights AI, Havas Media Network UK’s custom-built tool designed to help brands understand and optimize how they appear across leading AI platforms. Listen now and discover how to stay visible in the evolving search landscape https://lnkd.in/e6RmgHrj 🎧 #HavasProud #AISearch #AI #ConvergedAI #BrandInsightsAI The Media Leader UK | Havas Media UK

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“The only cases we have seen where huge transformation with AI doesn’t also deliver significant double-digit year-one savings are when the client isn’t looking at a big enough piece of their business to transform.” A great piece in The Drum from Brandtech Partner and Head of Emerging Technology Rebecca Sykes on the big conversations she’s having with brands as they scale Gen AI across their marketing. Link in comments 👇

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Amelia Torode has been appointed Group Head of Strategy at Ogilvy UK, where she will lead a strong strategy team across the agency’s five businesses: Advertising Brand & Content, PR Social & Influence, Consulting, Health, and Ogilvy One. Amelia joins from her role as Chief Strategy Lead, Europe at WPP Open X, where she spearheaded integrated brand and marketing strategy for The Coca-Cola Company across Coke Zero, Fanta, Sprite and Oasis, delivering major campaigns such as Coke x FA Premier League and Fanta Halloween. A highly respected strategist, Amelia previously held senior roles as Chief Strategy Officer at TBWA\London, Head of Strategy & Innovation at VCCP, and founder of the consultancy Fawnbrake. Her career began as a WPP Marketing Fellow, including her first agency role at Ogilvy New York, making this appointment a return to where it all started. This move underscores Ogilvy UK’s continued momentum and ambition in redefining modern brand strategy under a collaborative leadership team. #Leadership #BrandStrategy #Marketing #Advertising #Ogilvy #CareerMoves #cxolanes

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"AI shouldn't replace creativity—it should remove the manual, less fulfilling parts of the job so teams can focus on strategy, interpretation and better brand experiences." Our EMEA Head of Integrated Media, Jack Chape, joined The Drum's latest podcast to dig into what responsible AI really looks like in marketing. It’s not just about using the tools, it’s about using them with intention to unlock better work and more meaningful brand impact. 🎧 Listen in: https://bit.ly/45jlYog

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UK ad spend is rising faster than the economy. The latest Advertising Association / WARC Expenditure Report has dropped and it shows that adspend is up 8% in Q1 2025, led by growth in search (+12.3%) and online display (+10.1%). That gap says a lot about where marketers are placing their bets: short-term performance, measurable outcomes, and formats that can flex with shifting priorities. It also reflects the pressure brands are under. With sluggish GDP growth and tighter scrutiny on budgets, advertisers are looking for ways to do more with less - reallocating spend toward agile, efficient digital channels. But that shift only works if the underlying infrastructure can support it. Without full visibility into how spend is delivered and what value it returns, performance-led buying can quickly become performance assumed buying. That’s where transparent, efficient programmatic systems make a real difference. When every impression is trackable and every pound accountable, brands can react faster, spend smarter, and build trust into every transaction. More ad spend isn’t the full story, how that spend works is what really matters. Read the full AA/WARC Expenditure Report here: https://lnkd.in/eermZHYX

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What a day! Yesterday Thinkbox Vision’s event saw many marketeers gather to explore the TV industry and the role advertising continues to play.   Our Chief Commercial Officer, Rak Patel was amongst the industry experts reflecting on the current state of play, speaking on a panel alongside commercial leads from Sky Media UK, ITV and Disney to discuss where TV is going and how it will better serve brands.   Key takeaways from the session include: - Reach, Trust & Effectiveness: TV remains a trusted platform, delivering reach and reliable results for brands in a fast-changing environment. - Industry Collaboration: Initiatives like Project Lantern are driving progress, creating universal measurement standards and increasing accessibility—especially for SMEs. - Positive Regulation: Governance and oversight provide brands with the confidence to invest in TV, knowing their campaigns are in a safe and effective space.   Attendees then got to hear the latest news from Project Lantern, a joint measurement initiative between Sky, ITV and Channel 4. As well as insights into the Educating Yorkshire series with Mr Burton sitting down with Twofour’s David Clews and AJ Odudu.

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